Do you check your social media accounts first thing in the morning and last thing at night? Do you prefer to “Like” a friend’s new picture rather than engage in a family conversation at the dinner table? Do you get that strange urge to vote on comments on internet forums?

What Is MinutesPlease?

MinutesPlease is a way to control the amount of time you spend on certain websites. You can choose any site and set any amount of time.

When you’ve made your choices, the app opens the page in a new tab and begins a countdown. As soon as the timer ends, the tab will close. If you were in the middle of something, it’s tough. The tab will close regardless.

How to Use MinutesPlease

In addition to entering your preferences manually, you can also make use of four URL shortcuts and a bookmarklet.

The URL shortcuts allow you to set timers without needing to visit the app’s homepage. There are four options available:

[number of minutes].minutesplease.com/[site.com] — Opens the site with a countdown timer for the minutes specified.

minutesplease.com/1hr15m/[site.com] — Opens the site with a countdown timer for the hours and minutes specified.

minutesplease.com/1day/ — Opens a blank window with a one-day countdown.

minutesplease.com/[site.com] — Initiates an automatic 10-minute countdown on any site.

The bookmarklet starts a 10-minute countdown for whichever site is on your screen when you click it.

MinutesPlease is just one tool. There are several more apps dedicated to reducing the amount of time you spend on social media. Which do you use? Let us know in the comments.

Dan is a British expat living in Mexico. He is currently a Senior Writer for MakeUseOf. At various times, he has been the Social Editor, Creative Editor, and Finance Editor. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.